


This Wave is Stringing Us Along

by Elri



Category: DC Extended Universe, Wonder Woman (Movies - Jenkins), Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Found Family, Gen, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28371810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elri/pseuds/Elri
Summary: A story about people who find each other, and something else along the way
Relationships: Charlie & Sameer (Wonder Woman), Charlie/Sameer (Wonder Woman), The Oddfellows, Wondersquad
Comments: 31
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [oopsabird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/oopsabird/gifts), [danielfaradays](https://archiveofourown.org/users/danielfaradays/gifts).



> Merry (delayed) Christmas!

“Terribly sorry, Mr. Outis is out for the evening, please come back la-” The woman cut off as she looked up and saw Charlie stepping into the room with the man who’d called himself Chief close behind. “Good evening.” 

“Evening, Miss Etta,” Chief said with a nod. “This is Charlie. He helped me out of a rough spot at the bar.” 

“Aye, by fallin’ flat on my arse.” Charlie muttered before remembering the company in the room. “Beggin’ yer pardon.” 

Etta gave him a nod before returning her attention to Chief. “Everything alright?” 

“Just some people who’d had a few too many drinks and decided to let their fists run away with their mouths,” Chief assured her. “Charlie stepped in and told them off. Got a few good swings in, but he was outnumbered.” 

Charlie snorted, “Didn’ seem to stop you, Big Man.” 

“I had the advantage; they were drunk and distracted.” Chief put a reassuring hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “You did a good thing, my friend. Miss Etta, I was wondering if I might call in a favor and get Charlie a place to stay for a few nights.” 

Etta’s eyebrows went towards her hairline at that. Chief just gave her a nod in response. She looked at Charlie, gave him a once over, then shook her head and pulled a small keyring with a green ribbon out of the desk drawer. If Charlie hadn’t been watching the floor, still sobering up, he might’ve caught the silent exchange. 

“Here you are,” Etta said brightly, “The Farthing Lane apartment. I don’t know how well it’s stocked so I'll send someone by in the morning with the essentials.” 

“Thank you very much.” Chief accepted the key and turned back to Charlie, “Good to go?” 

“Yep, sure, good as I'm gonna get.” Charlie started to head back out before stopping and turning back to give Etta a stilted nod, “Nice meeting you, lass.” 

“Yes, you too,” She said politely. 

“Have a good night, Miss Etta.” 

“And you, Chief.” 

Chief led Charlie through the winding streets and alleys of London. Their footsteps seemed to echo a little too loudly in the absence of cars and other people to create the usual ambience of the city. In the back of Charlie’s mind, he had the brief though that if this was some bizarre way of taking him to his death it was certainly thorough so far. 

But nothing about Chief or the woman called Etta had given him any sense that he needed to turn and run far and fast. It had been a while since he hadn’t had that itch under his skin urging him to get the fuck out, so whether he’d judged right or not he wasn’t going to fight this. Besides, he was too tired to try and put up any amount of fight again. 

They took a side road and, to Charlie’s surprise, the windows of the buildings started to be more lit. People started to appear, dozens of them, men and women. They emerged from other side paths, some carrying bags, some just carrying themselves, towards the beacons of their apartments. All of them, every single one, gave Chief a wave and called a hello. No one came over, they seemed to understand that he was busy at the moment, but they all made a point to acknowledge him. Some gave Charlie a nod or a wave or a small greeting, and after the first few surprised him he was able to give a reflexive nod, but otherwise he kept his head down and tried not to be noticed. 

It was..... weird. Not bad, necessarily, but too far out of the ordinary for Charlie to call it good, so he settled for weird. His buzz was also steadily wearing off, making him more aware of his surroundings. He wanted to go for his flask but didn’t trust himself to be able to drink and walk at the moment, and he really didn’t want to draw more attention by making Chief stop. 

The building they turned into didn’t have any notable distinction from the others, nor did any of the other people heading in with them. Charlie followed Chief up a flight of stairs, down a hall, and into the apartment that he unlocked with the key Etta had given them. It was bigger than the room Charlie was renting in the boarding house, but still clearly meant for one person. 

“Here we are. Etta said she wasn’t sure how stocked it is, but if you’d like something to eat Mrs. Müller down the hall always makes extra and would be happy to share. Apartment 200, she’ll probably have the door open.” Chief turned to look at Charlie and must’ve recognized that his head was spinning from more than the drink. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, how about I come by tomorrow and we can talk some more?” He gestured down a small hallway, “The bedroom and bathroom are down that way, I'll let you get familiar with the space.” Chief handed the keyring over to Charlie and patted him on the shoulder, “Good night, Charlie.” 

“Yeah, right, ‘night Big Man.” 

After Chief left, Charlie locked the door and shut the curtains, after making sure the windows were locked. A quick sweep of the area revealed a few canned goods in the kitchen, along with basic cooking utensils. There was a small, seemingly random selection of books on a bookshelf against the wall. The couch, chair, and side table were a little old but still in good condition. There were blankets, towels, and sheets in the closet in the hall. A toothbrush, a small tube of paste, and a small bar of soap had been put in the bathroom. No pictures anywhere, no obvious color selections, nothing to indicate a personal touch. 

Charlie sat down on the bed and looked around. “If this is a dream,” He said to the walls, “Pretty fuckin’ weird one. But at least it’s somethin’ different, so I'll take it. If it’s not a dream, guess I'll figure this out in the mornin’.” He took his shoes and jacket off, got under the covers, and left a lamp on before as he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When Charlie woke up early the next morning, one glance around the unfamiliar room confirmed that last night hadn’t been a bizarre series of alcohol-induced hallucinations.

“Thank goodness  fer that,” Charlie muttered to himself, “Was  startin ’ to worry I was really  losin ’ it.”

He shuffled around the one-bedroom apartment, opening doors and getting the lay of the land, before making his way to the kitchen. The keyring with the ribbon was sitting on the small kitchen table on top of a note and a bit of money. Only one of the keys was still attached, the other presumably having been taken by Chief. After a quick glance to around to confirm he was alone, Charlie sat down to read the note.

_ Charlie, _

_ Someone will be stopping by with groceries. There’s a store on the corner in case you need anything before then. _

_ I'll come around later to see how you’re doing. Thank you again for your help last night. _

_ Chief _

Charlie sat at the table drumming his fingers in thought for a long minute as he contemplated his next course of action. He didn’t much like the idea of sitting around waiting to see what happened next. His hand went reflexively to his flask before he realized he wasn’t wearing his jacket. A quick search of his jacket, followed by a more thorough search of all of his pockets and the apartment, failed to turn up any sign of the flask.

“Of all the blasted...” Had he lost it in the bar? No, he remembered taking a swig of it before he’d started talking to Chief after the fight at the bar. And he’d gone to take another before they came here, but Chief had set a brisk pace and he'd rushed to keep up. Which left only one conclusion: “Bastard took my flask. Right then, friendly or not there’s a line, and ye don’t touch another man’s liquor.” He put his jacket on and headed out, taking the key and locking the door behind him.

It took him a little while to find his way back to that office, the memories of last night's route were still a little hazy, but he was standing in front of the building in no time. With the light seeping in over the city, it was easier to see now that it wasn’t the sort of place most people would willingly walk into, especially in the dead of night. The windows that weren’t broken were boarded up, any papers that had been stuck to the bricks or doors had been rendered unreadable from exposure to the elements, and it was just far enough from the main road that if you needed help you’d have to make a good run for it.

For half a second, Charlie almost reconsidered his plan (what little of it there was), before he steeled himself with righteous indignation and headed inside. The office Etta had been in, Mr. Nemo  Outis’s according to the name on the frosted window, was on the second floor. It was the only door that was shut, and a closer look showed that it had most likely been brought in new, and the doorframe had been repaired to make it functional. The door was locked, of course, but Charlie had started keeping his pick on him a long while back.

Looking back, it’s unclear if Charlie had been very focused on picking the lock, or the approach had just been very  very quiet, but he quite unexpectedly felt the cool press of a gun barrel against his head.

“Stop what you are doing,” said a French accented voice, “And don’t make any sudden moves.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever you say.” Charlie sighed and slowly took his hands away from the door.

“Who are you?”

“Milk man,  yer behind on payments.”

The hammer clicked behind him. “I’m not interested in games, Monsieur. How did you find this place?”

“Was brought here.”

“Who brought you?”

“Big man. Called himself Chief.”

There was a pause. The gun was pulled away but the hammer didn’t click back into place. “Stand up -slowly- and turn around.”

Charlie complied and turned to find himself eye to eye with a frankly very attractive man. A very attractive man who was still pointing a gun at him.

_ This is payback.  _ _ Dinnae _ _ what  _ _ fer _ _ , but it’s payback. _

“ Mornin ’.”

The man gave Charlie an appraising look, not unlike the one Etta had given him last night, but this one seemed to carry more weight behind it. There was a seriousness to the man’s expression that Charlie found more off-putting than the gun.

“Why did Chief bring you here?”

Charlie shrugged, looking away. “He told the woman inside he was  callin in a favor. Think he took pity on me.”

The man’s expression had changed from curious to mildly surprised when Charlie mentioned a favor. Before he could question further, footsteps could be heard coming up towards them.

“Steve, Etta, that you?” The man called.

“It’s us, Sami,” came another man’s voice. American.

“We have a visitor.”

There was a slight pause, then the steps came up quicker. Charlie didn’t look away from the man, Sami, but from the corner of his eye he saw Etta and the other man, who must’ve been Steve ( _ Who the fuck is Mr. Outis then?), _ stop at the end of the hall and assess the situation. It looked like Steve was putting a hand on his own gun at his side.

“Oh,” said Etta, “It’s you. Charlie, wasn’t it?”

“Aye.” He gave her a half wave, “Hello again.”

“Chief brought him by last night. Apparently, Charlie helped him out of a bit of a scuffle.” A look passed between Sami and Steve and she held a hand up, “He assured me it was nothing we needed to worry about, just a few drunk idiots. In any case, Charlie here intervened –or at least, attempted to intervene- and so Chief called in favor for him.”

Steve turned to look at Etta, “Wait really?”

“ Mhmm . He's  _ supposed _ to be at the Farthing Lane apartment.”

“Well he’s here now.” Sami put his gun away and motioned for Charlie to move and Charlie quickly stepped to the side. “Might as well go inside while we figure this out.” He unlocked the door, handing Charlie’s pick back first, and ushered him inside.

Steve and Etta were close behind. Etta headed straight for the inner door that probably led to the main office, Sami gave Steve a nod before following her. Steve turned to Charlie and said, “Just wait here, we need to talk about this. Don’t worry, we’re not going to kill you.”

“I would say I hadn’t been  thinkin about that, but I am outnumbered, and outgunned, and I’m not an idiot.”

Steve gave him an almost apologetic smile before joining Sami and Etta, shutting the door behind him. The voices that managed to come through the door were hushed, but urgent. Charlie thought about trying to listen in before deciding that whatever happened next he wasn’t going to bother worrying about it.

His hand went for his flask again, forgetting it wasn’t there. They were starting to shake, and he was grateful that it was dim in the office as the pain that had been steadily building behind his eyes kept growing. Charlie focused on keeping his breathing slow and even, letting his eyes  unfocus a little as he stared at a corner of the room.

He just barely noticed when the voices stopped and managed to take a deep breath to try to push the pain to the back of his mind before the door opened. They all three walked out and stood facing him. None of them looked like they were about to kill him, and it didn’t feel like he was in trouble, so that was good at least.

“So here’s what we’re thinking,” Steve said, “Chief asked us to help you out, so we’d like to offer you a job. I don’t know what you’ll be doing yet, that depends on what you can do, but in the meantime Sami is going to be bringing you around with him so you can get an idea of what we do. Any questions?”

So many. “No.”

“Okay. I do have one for you, if you don’t mind. Why were you trying to break in?”

“Chief took  somethin ’ of mine. He said he’d come by the other way, but I figured this was a good place to start  lookin ’  fer him.”

“What did he take?”

“Flask.”

Steve gave him a very confused look, “You came all this way, and tried to pick the lock, for a flask?”

Charlie shrugged, “Don’t like people  messin with what’s mine.”

“Huh. Well I’m not sure where he is now but if he said he’d stop by then you’ll definitely see him, so I guess you can ask then. Anything else?” He looked at Sami and Etta, who both shook their heads. “Alright then. Let’s all get to work.”

Charlie was unsure exactly how he was supposed to proceed. Thankfully, Sami came around to his side and gestured towards the door. “Après  vous . No guns this time, I promise.”

“Bet you could still handle  yerself if I tried anything. Better be on my best behavior, aye?” He grinned, trying to keep his steps steady as they made their way back outside.

Sami gave him a small smile, “With all due respect, Monsieur Charlie, I don’t think in your current condition you would be able to put up much of a fight. But if you want to give it a go when you’re in better health, I'm more than happy to show you what I can do. Do you need to stop anywhere before we head back to the apartment?”

“I should let my landlady know I'm apparently moving.”

“You don’t have to, Charlie.”

He shrugged, “ s’not that big a deal. I'll just pop in, get my stuff, give my notice, and then we can move on.”

“If you’re certain. Lead on.”

It took Charlie a moment to find his bearings, he’d never come from that angle before, but once he hit a familiar street it was short work to get to the boarding house. There were a few other men going in and out that Charlie exchanged nods with, recognizing them from meals the tenants had had together. Sami waited in the front hall while Charlie stepped into Mrs.  Dennan’s office (the desk in her small living room) to settle his final rent. It was midmonth so she tried to tell him he only had to pay half but he insisted on giving her the full month. He figured she’d had to put up with him coming in at all hours, usually damn drunk, it was the least he could do.

Sami stayed downstairs when he went up to get his stuff too. Most of it was already packed up in his backpack, he tried to travel pretty light. When he pulled out his rifle in its case, he paused and started running through different scenarios in his head. Ultimately, he told himself it would be better not to walk around London with a weapon out, covered or not, so he carefully positioned it to rest under the backpack. He'd tell Steve and them about it at some point. Probably. If it came up. Maybe.

“Right,” He said when he met back up with Sami after dropping off his key, “Off we get then.”

Sami eyed the single bag on Charlie’s back but didn’t comment. “Anything else you need to do?”

“Nah.”

“Alright. Let's go see if Chief’s at your apartment then.”


	3. Chapter 3

There was a bag of groceries sitting outside Charlie’s door when they got to the apartment. He eyed it while he unlocked the door, a bit confused by the fact that it was there, but picked it up and carried it in. The grocery bag got put on the kitchen counter as Charlie passed by on his way to the room. He dropped his backpack next to the bed and carefully tucked the rifle into the closet before heading back out to the main area.

Sami was standing near the door, waiting patiently. Charlie stopped, looked around, gestured him towards the couch with a series of vaguely comprehensible sounds, and headed into the kitchen to deal with the grocery bag. There was a folded note tucked into the top with  _ Our Newest Neighbor _ in neat handwriting. 

_ Dear Neighbor,  _ it read, _ we run the grocery errands for most of the second floor, so if you would like us to pick up anything just drop by with a list. We tried to get the basics for you (had no idea what tea you liked so terribly sorry if we guessed wrong!) but if there’s something else you need stop by! From: Jess and Joey (your neighbors in 214) _

“Right then,” Charlie muttered to himself. He emptied the bag, putting most of it into one cabinet. He thought about putting on the kettle for tea but his headache was getting worse so he walked over and sat down in the chair instead. “Sami, right?”

“Yes?”

“Are you just stuck watching me until you lot figure out what to do with me?”

“I will be the one showing you around, yes.” Sami gave him a questioning look, “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Nah, wasn’t really doing anything else. I'll try to stay out of your way.” Charlie scratched at his nose, trying to discreetly press down to relieve some of the pressure in his head.

“If you do not mind,” Sami said all of a sudden, “Might I borrow your kitchen to make a cup of tea?”

“Uh... yeah sure go ahead.  Dunno where cups are, haven’t really looked around.”

“Merci.”

Charlie watched Sami get up and head towards the kitchen. He heard the water start behind him as Sami filled the kettle, but let the rest of the sounds fade to the background as he pinched the bridge of his nose and took a few deep breaths. The front door was behind him too, that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He'd have to move this chair to the other side of the room. 

The smell of peppermint close by made him open his eyes. Sami stood next to the chair holding out a steaming cup. Charlie blinked at it for a second, “What?”

“For you. Since I was in there.”

“Oh... thank you.” Charlie took the cup and held it between his hands, breathing in the sharp scent.

“I did not know how you liked it,” Sami said as he settled back on the couch with his own cup. “I’m very good at guessing, but I decided not to intimidate you with my remarkable powers of deduction just yet.” He grinned at Charlie, “Gives us something to look forward to, no?”

“ Er , right.” Charlie looked away, praying he wasn’t turning red, and took a sip of his tea to avoid having to figure out anything else to say. The peppermint was immensely soothing for his headache and his stomach, and he relaxed just a little bit.

A knock on the door broke the silence. Charlie looked to Sami for a second before realizing oh,  _ he’s _ probably the one who’s supposed to answer the door. When he opened it, he was relieved to see Chief standing there. For a moment he'd been worried it was one of his new neighbors. The relief quickly changes into a combination of uncertainty and annoyance as he realizes that, while Chief is a familiar face, he’s still technically a stranger, and he also took Charlie’s flask. He doesn’t quite feel up to issuing a challenge, however, so instead he steps aside and gestures in.

“Come on in.  Er , there’s tea in the kitchen? Or at least hot water... I think.” Charlie glanced over at the kettle, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do right now.

“That’s alright,” Chief says, hanging his hat up and giving Sami a nod, “Thank you though. How are you settling in?”

“Getting there,” Charlie lied. He was nowhere close to feeling settled, but he didn’t feel like running yet either. This was a resting point, just a place for him to be before it was time to move on again. “Have a seat, put  yer feet up.” Charlie started to head back to the chair but really didn’t want his back to the door so he redirected to the couch in what he hoped was a somewhat natural-looking move. There was enough room that he and Sami had space between them.

“Your new friend here tried to break into the office,” Sami told Chief as he sat down. There was a slight curl to his lip, but it strangely didn’t feel like Charlie was being mocked.

“Aye, and got a gun pulled on my for my troubles. Thanks for that,” He added, looking at Sami.

“I did,” Sami said without any hint of remorse, “but I did not shoot you.”

Charlie snorted, “Well now you’re stuck with me, so have fun regretting that decision.”

Sami hummed but didn’t say anything, just stood and collected his and Charlie’s cups to take them back to the kitchen. 

“So, Sami’s going to be showing you around?” Chief asked.

“Yeah, apparently. Not sure why I got dumped on him when you’re the one that dragged me into whatever this is,” Charlie joked.

“I tend to work separately from the main operation. Maybe later you can join me, but for now it’ll be more informative for you to stay here. And I'm sure Sami will be happy to have the company.” He looked over his shoulder as he said the last part. Charlie couldn’t see Chief’s face, but Sami’s looked unimpressed. He was familiar with that expression. “I’m glad you’re getting settled, Charlie. I'll try to stop by later in the week, but for now I have things I need to see to.” Chief stood and started putting his coat back on.

“Speaking of,” Sami said, turning from Chief to Charlie, “Is there anything you’d like to do before we head out as well?”

“ Nothin ’ I can think of.”

“Alright. Chief, after you.”

When they stepped out into the hall there was a young woman down the way also coming out of her apartment. She turned to look at them, paused with a surprised look, then smiled and came over.

“Good morning Sami, Chief. Hello, you must be Charlie, I'm Jess.” Her smile was bright and friendly, and she gave them all a little wave. Her dark hair hung in little waves that framed sharp cheekbones.

“ Er ,  mornin ’. Thanks for the groceries.”

“Of course, happy to help. And I'm glad you’re here, Sami, you just saved me a trip.”

Sami’s eyebrows went up, “Oh? Have you heard something?”

“News from Joey. He’s sleeping now, he had a late night, but he went around to some of the shops and they said there’s been some activity in the area.”

“What's going on?”

“Remember the butcher’s place down the alley from Mr. Bakir? The one that got shut down for health violations? It's up and running again, but not really making moves to start distributing to other shops. That's not the strange thing, though. Joey talked to Mr. Bakir and he said there’s been people coming and going at odd hours, and not anyone they recognize. When Joey tried to talk to the people at the butcher shop, however, no one would. He thinks they’re scared of the new management.”

Sami frowned, “Very new. This is the first I've heard of it. Thank you for passing this along,  and  tell  your brother we appreciate the information. We’ll look into it right away.”

Jess gave him a nod, “Thank you. Good luck. I'd better be off as well, nice seeing you all!” She waved again before darting off.

“Looks like you’re here just in time, Red,” Chief said to Charlie. “I’ll keep my ear to the ground, Sami. Let me know when we get together again to compare notes.”

“Thank you, Chief. Well Charlie, looks like our grand tour will have to wait.”

Charlie gestured, trying to wrap his head around everything that had just happened. “After you.”


	4. Chapter 4

Sami took them down a route that led to a street that Charlie could smell before he saw it. Scents of cooked meats and baked goods and the occasional dried herbs wafted in the air. Now that the nausea had abated, his stomach was remembering that he hadn’t eaten in a while and starting to remind him. Thankfully, the noise around them seemed to cover most of the rumbling.

There were no cars on the street. Kids chased each other around shrieking in joy while their guardians kept an eye on them from the sidewalks. Voices carried in more accents and languages then Charlie had ever heard. Several people called out and waved to Sami, and he greeted them all with a smile and a wave as well. Charlie was mostly ignored, which suited him fine as he tried to stay focused on following Sami instead of the headache creeping back in.

The sign on front of the shop they walked into read “Baker’s Bakery” and the warm scent of fresh bread coming out of the door supported that designation. Behind the counter was a woman about their age with a kerchief tied around her head. She looked up with a bright smile that got even wider when she saw them.

“Sami!”

Sami took his hat off and nodded his head, giving her a smile in return. “Good morning, Madame  Bakir . Is your husband busy at the moment?”

“He’s back in the alley with Mr. Moreno.” She glanced around nervously, “Strange things are going on.”

“I know,” Sami said, “We’re going to figure this out.”

There was a conviction in his voice and his face that even Charlie couldn’t help but find a little reassuring. Mrs.  Bakir must’ve agreed because she gave him a more confident nod before for gesturing them to come around the counter, “Go on through, they’ll be glad to talk to you.”

It was a quick walk through the kitchen area to the alley where two men were loading wrapped bread loaves for delivery. Nearby, a young woman watched two children chasing each other while she balanced a toddler on her hip. They turned to see who had come outside and looked relieved when they saw it was Sami. He called greetings to them, in two different languages. The older man, wearing an apron, came over to speak with him.

“Monsiuer Bakir,” Sami greeted him, “I wish I was here under more pleasant circumstances. I was told you had seen something.”

“Not just me,” He turned and gestured the other man, Moreno presumably, over. 

The smallest child, the one on the woman’s hip, started fussing as they began talking. Moreno started to apologize but Sami waved him off, speaking in what sounded like Spanish, his tone reassuring. Charlie tried to pay attention to the conversation that followed, but he was more drawn to the woman and the child. He walked over, giving her a nod and what he hoped was a friendly smile.

“Pardon me,” he said softly when he was close enough, “may I?” He held his hands out towards the child.

The woman gave him a surprised and confused look, but passed the child over to him. The child was probably no more than a year old. Their face was red and splotchy from crying but there weren’t any tears coming.

“ Och , what’s all the fussing  fer ?” Charlie asked with a playful tone, giving them a little bounce. When he was pretty sure he at least partially had the child’s attention he made a very exaggerated grumpy face. The older kids had stopped running around, fascinated by the strange man holding their sibling, and started giggling when he made the face. The little one was now staring at him with more interest. He made another face, this one just plain goofy, and got a small laugh. “Oh? What was that? Was that a smile?” He gave them another little bounce and got more of a laugh. “Oh aye I think we got a wee happy  bairn , yeah? O green grow the rashes o-“ Charlie sang a little loudly and without worry about the original melody, rocking the child back and forth to the rhythm of the song. A short verse later and the child had gone fully from upset to delighted. He chattered a bit more before realizing that the adults were paying almost as much attention to him as the kids. Suddenly self conscious, he passed the little one back to their mother. “I’m Charlie, by the way. Sorry  fer not introducing myself.”

“It’s no trouble; buenos dias, Charlie,” she said with a smile. “I’m Ximena. This one is Rocio, but we call him Ruidosio.”

“Hello lad. I  er ” he gestured vaguely towards Sami, “better get back.” He gave her and the kids an awkward little wave before heading back to where Sami was saying goodbye to Moreno and  Bakir . Moreno left to make the deliveries and  Bakir went back inside, both giving Charlie a nod and a smile as they left. When Sami turned to Charlie, there was a strange, quiet smile on his face. “What?”

“Nothing,  matraba .”

“ Matraba ?”

“It is…” Sami paused, looking for the right words, “a type of bird.”

“A chattering one I bet.” Charlie gave him a wry smile. “So, wh at  now?”

“I don’t know about you, but right now I absolutely have to try one of those rolls that just came out of the oven. Let’s go around the front.”

As they passed by the other businesses, Charlie glanced around. “Which one is the butcher’s?” He asked quietly.

“Here, on the left,” Sami whispered back.

There didn’t appear to be anyone outside, but Charlie was still careful as he looked up and down the building. The blinds in the windows on the upper floor were shut, but he could've sworn there was someone looking out at them. He fought the instinct to hunch his shoulders and move quicker, instead keeping an even pace with Sami and whistling a little to steady his nerves.

Once they’d turned up side path towards the main street, Charlie let out a relieved breath. “Gave me the creeps,” he muttered.

“It felt like we were being watched,” Sami agreed. “No one’s seen the blinds open, but the lights have been on at odd hours, and a shadow has been seen up there.”

Charlie wondered what else had been seen, but didn’t feel like it was his place to ask. They headed back around to the bakery and Sami talked cheerfully with Mrs.  Bakir while she packaged their half dozen rolls. She tried to insist he didn’t have to pay, something about how he’d already done so much, but Sami persuaded her to accept at least a small payment. Charlie just barely noticed Sami tucking a bill next to the cash register, where it might not be noticed until it was too late to figure out where it had come from.

Back on the street, Sami pulled a roll out of the bag and passed it over to Charlie. Charlie was about to decline when his stomach growled again, and the noise around them had faded just enough it was audible. He muttered a thanks as he accepted the roll, hoping his face wasn’t too red. Thankfully, Sami said nothing.

“Nice folks,” Charlie said, unable to let the silence linger. “Hope whatever’s going on doesn’t bother them.”

“That’s what we’re trying to prevent.”

“How?” The question was out before Charlie could stop it. 

Sami gave him a smile, “You’ll see. Let’s get back to the office, we should let Steve know what’s going on. I'm pretty sure I have my key, but just in case, do you have your pick handy?”

“I’d prefer not to answer until I can see both  yer hands.”

“You do not trust me?” Sami put a hand on his chest, the amused glint in his eye belying his offense. “I’m wounded.”

Charlie snorted, “I don’t think  yer stupid enough to trust  _ me _ .” 

He missed the look Sami gave him, the sharp eyes searching his face for an answer to a question that hadn’t been asked, the slight frown that was equal parts sad and confused; he wouldn’t have had a response to it anyways.

As they returned to the office, Charlie noted once again that the noise of the city seemed pretty far behind them. “I can see why I made you all nervous this morning, not exactly a place people find accidentally is it.”

“It’s hard enough for some people to find it on purpose,” Sami said. “And given that you were brought here in the middle of the night, I'm very impressed.”

“Right... well...” Charlie cleared his throat to cover up how flustered the genuine compliment made him.

The office door was unlocked this time, and Etta was seated at the desk typing away. She looked up as the door opened, Charlie saw one hand move under the desk, but relaxed when she saw the two of them walk in. “Welcome back. Something going on?”

“It seems like it,” Sami told her, handing her a roll from the bag. “Is Steve here?”

“He’s due back any minute, he stepped out to make a few appearances. Problem?”

“Looks like it. Are these the letters for the papers?”

“They are,” Etta passed him a paper from the small stack next to her typewriter. “We’ll see how many actually get printed.” She turned to Charlie and held another paper out, “Would you like to see?

Charlie shrugged and took it, “Sure.” The heading on the paper read ‘Equal Citizens Deserve Equal Franchise.’ After a long minute of reading through the letter trying to figure out what that meant, it finally clicked. “Oh! This is about women’s votes. Hang on, women under 30 aren’t allowed to vote? Have they  _ met _ the lads that are out there making decisions? Who thought that was a good idea?”

“Men.”

“Right. Sorry about that.”

Etta gave him a slightly amused look, but before she could respond the door opened and Steve walked in, stopping and looking around as soon as he realized other people were there. “Oh, hi. How's everything going?”

“We have news,” Sami told him, passing him a roll as well. “And we might have a problem.”

Steve made a face, “I knew things were a little too quiet. Something we need to bring Chief in on?”

“If only so he knows to be aware.”

Etta pulled a small book out of the desk drawer, “I’ll start putting the word out. He's nearby so someone should see him shortly. Anything else?”

“Not yet, I'd rather explain the rest when we’re all together. But if something comes up, I'll call.”

Steve nodded, “We’ll be here.”

When they were back on the street, Charlie couldn’t hold back the question that had popped into his head during that conversation, “Is whatever all this is something to do with women’s votes?”

“Not all of it, no,” Sami said, passing Charlie the other of the last two rolls. “We do support them however we can, but it’s not our focus as a group. As for our current problem, as far as I know it’s unrelated, but one never knows.”

“Not sure if the two being related would be better or worse.”

“It would certainly be interesting.”


	5. Chapter 5

It was two nights later when Charlie met up with everyone again. The day after walking around with Sami he’d stayed home after not sleeping at all the night before, and was sweaty, nauseous, and in a generally unpleasant mood for a good part of the day. Jess had stopped by at one point to relay a message her brother had received and he’d snapped at her. He felt horrible about it and fully intended to apologize to her as soon as he could. Thankfully at least she didn’t seem to take it personally, instead just leaving him alone.

Well, she walked away but she must’ve told Mrs. M ü ller because the next thing Charlie knew a small, stubborn, elderly lady with a thick German accent came marching into the apartment. He'd gotten snappy with her too, but she’d just thrown it right back at him, all the while puttering around his kitchen making tea and some kind of soup that she’d later stood over him and watched to make sure he’d finished. She reminded him a lot of his older aunts, and his nan. 

“I was going to wait for you to come say hello,” she told him at one point. “In my day, when you move in you introduce yourself to your neighbors, be friendly. But you took too long. You young people, always on the move, never just stopping to say hallo anymore. What is the rush? Especially that young man Mr.  Otis , here and gone again. But always so friendly, and he has such a nice smile. I liked him the first day I met him. He told me to call him Sami [ _ Then who the fuck is Mr.  _ _ Otis _ _?] _ and I said I didn’t want to call him anything if it wasn’t who he was. I told him I didn’t like where I lived, because I had to be ‘Mrs. Miller’ there, and he told me he knew a place where I could be me again. And now I am here, and I am Mrs. M ü ller.” She’d waved her spoon at him, “And don’t you forget it.”

“No ma’am.”

She'd stayed until evening, extracting a promise that he’d come by later in the week to join her for dinner. “I will invite those nice twins across the hall too. They need to sit down, they make my head spin with all their in and out.” She patted his cheek on the way out, reminding him even more of his aunts, “See you at dinner. Gute nacht.”

Charlie managed a few, disconnected hours of sleep, waking up feeling a little less like death warmed over. The first thing he’d done after getting dressed and managing to make himself look human was knock on Jess and Joey’s door. When Jess opened the door, Charlie gave her a sheepish smile.

“Who is it?” Came a voice from further in the apartment.

“It’s Charlie!”

“If he runs his mouth again, I'm coming out there!”

“Go to bed!” Jess turned back to Charlie, “Good morning.”

“Morning. I wanted to say I'm sorry for yesterday. I said a lot of things I shouldn’t have.”

She smiled and gave him a nod, “Thank you, Charlie. By the way, Steve said to tell you that Sami will be coming by later today.”

“Thank you.”

Sami arrived in the late morning and they headed out right away. “We’re meeting in the back office,” He explained on the way, “otherwise I wouldn’t need to be here. That reminds me,” Sami pulled a key out of his pocket and handed it to Charlie. “That’s for the front office. You're welcome to keep using your pick, if you need the practice, but that should save you some time. There are only two keys to the back office, for security purposes.”

“Right, makes sense.” Charlie added it to the ring with his apartment key, ignoring the little feeling of contentment that settled in his gut as they clinked together.

The back office building looked properly abandoned, dormant under layers of graffiti and the paper and boards that covered every window. Etta, Steve, and Chief were waiting for them on the third floor, and Etta unlocked the door. Unlike the front office, the walls here had been knocked out to utilize the extra space on either side. The other doors were painted shut, leaving only one obvious entrance. No light came in from the outside, the paper on the windows was layered to make it sneakily opaque. For a moment, the openness and the darkness was unnerving, but that feeling went away as soon as the lights came on.

A huge desk was the centerpiece of the area. From the placement and the lack of an armchair, it looked like it served more as a gathering table. To the right was a door that looked newer, probably installed to provide access to a secondary room. Two cots were tucked off to the side with blankets and pillows at the ready. Bookshelves in various states of disrepair lined the walls, each with their still functioning shelves full of trinkets and knick-knacks. A tapestry with a colorful, geometric pattern gave the room an extra brightness.

Sami walked over to the desk and rolled out one of the papers on top while everyone else gathered around. They found themselves looking at a street map of the surrounding London area. “Two days ago, we received word that there’s been strange activity going on at the butcher shop near Mr.  Bakir’s bakery.” He pulled a glass stone out of one of the drawers and started scanning the map. Without thinking, Charlie pointed to the location of the butcher shop, having mentally retraced all of their steps from the other day. “Ah, thank you. According to  Bakir and Moreno, they’ve seen trucks and people coming and going from the butcher shop in the early hours of the morning.”

“As in coming in to start baking early, or sending out the first delivery early?” Steve asked.

“Coming in to bake. There have also been crates going in and out of the shop, far more than any single butcher shop should be able to manage. Especially one as small as this.”

“Assuming,” Etta said, “that they’re full of meat.”

“ Exactement .”

“About how big are the crates?” Chief asked.

“Large enough to comfortably hold a dismembered cow.”

“Which means whatever they’re moving takes up space.”

“Or there’s a lot of it,” Charlie added.  _ Shit. Didn't mean to interrupt. Got to learn to keep your mouth shut _ .

“Or both,” Sami mused, unbothered by the interjection and oblivious to Charlie’s internal berating. “Steve, has there been any word about things going missing from official areas?”

“Things like seized materials?”

“Precisely.”

“Not that I've heard, but I know who to reach out to.”

Chief nodded, “I’ll keep an eye around the  dock s and railyards as well.”

“Is anyone keeping an eye on the shop itself?” Etta asked.

“ Bakir and Moreno have said they will let us know if they notice any changes. However, there is someone on the upper floor of the building, so any recon that we set up will need to be careful.”

Steve nodded, “So you’re thinking for now we keep a distance and try to get an idea of what we’re dealing with first?”

“ Oui .”

“As soon as someone knows something,” Etta said, “let me know and I'll send out some knitters.”

“Sounds like a plan. We still good for tonight?”

“Unless something else comes up. Chief?”

“I’ll be there. Will you be joining us, Etta?”

“Unfortunately not, I have a meeting. Do try not to get yourselves into trouble.”

“We would never,” Sami told her, almost convincing.

“Well, not on purpose,” Steve added. He looked around, “Anything else?”

No one else had anything to add. Sami stayed looking at the map as the others started to head out, and Charlie hung back awkwardly, unsure where he was supposed to go. Steve saw him standing by and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Come on, I'll introduce you to someone. It'll be good for you two to know each other’s faces.”

“Right, sure.” Charlie glanced back on the way out and saw Sami look up and give him a smile and a parting nod. He blamed the swoop in his stomach on lingering nausea. 

Their path took them towards the central part of London. Steve stopped in a phone booth on the way to make a call, and they ended up at a newsstand about a block away. A man in a nice suit and a long coat was already there, absently perusing the stand. 

Steve casually walked up next to the man, barely looking at him before turning to the stand as well. “Good afternoon, Sir.”

“Afternoon, Mr. Otis.” The man glanced towards Charlie, who was standing a little behind Steve. “Someone you know?”

“He’s... a cousin.” They kept their voices low and their tones deceptively light.

He gave Charlie a small nod. “Mr. Otis.”

“Er, afternoon.”  _ Who the fuck is Mr. Otis? _

“You said you had a question for me?”

Steve nodded slightly, “Have you heard any rumors about someone getting ahold of some leftovers?”

The man hummed in thought, “Nothing comes to mine. I’ll keep an ear out, but I'd guess whatever they have they found somewhere else. Give me a day, see if anything turns up.”

“Thank you.”

The man picked up a paper and gave them both a nod, “Gentlemen.”

Steve waited until the man had walked away before purchasing his own paper and heading back the direction they came from.

“Weapons,” Charlie said quietly when they’d gotten far enough away. “Leftovers from the war.”

“Yeah.”

“And what happens if you lot find them?”

“We drop them off with people we know who will take them apart, or at least put them where they can’t be used.”

“And that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“And he’s someone who helps with that?”

“He helps keep certain thins above board, makes sure they get taken care of right.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

Charlie wasn't sure how much he actually believed that, but he kept his mouth shut this time. Steve made another call, this time apparently to Sami to give him an update. After their brief conversation, Steve stuck his head out and beckoned to Charlie.

“He wants to talk to you. I have to go run a few errands, personal not business, so you’re free to do whatever you want. There's change on the phone in case you start running out of time.” He traded places with Charlie, giving him a pat on the shoulder as he passed, “I’ll see you later.”

“Right. You too. Hello?”

“Hello, Charlie.” There was an audible smile in Sami’s voice. “I would like to apologize, I realized Steve talked about tonight but did not say what we would be doing.”

“Tonight? We?”

“ Oui ,” there was an audible smile in Sami’s voice. “If you would like to join us. I should probably explain before this starts to get confusing.”

Charlie snorted, “Starts?”

“Again, my apologies. Would you like to talk over the phone or in person?”

“I’ll come to you, got nothing else going on.”

“When you get here, knock four times on the door, long short, long short.”

“Is that meant to be Morse code, or is that just a coincidence?”

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Sami said by way of answer. “See you soon, Charlie.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Is this a regular thing, or a ‘we have a free night’ thing?” Charlie asked Chief as they watched from their table at the pub.

“It takes more planning than that, but I wouldn’t say regular.”

It was hard not to stare over at where Sami and Steve are chatting with a small group of businessmen. Men who had made their money by profiting off the war. Sami’s expression is bright and friendly, but compared to how Charlie’s seen him around others it doesn’t feel right. It's almost like it’s been stretched out a little, forced into place. He and Steve were dressed a little nicer, adding credence to the lie they had spun of profiting off some investment they’d made with Sami’s uncle in Nigeria. 

Charlie was doing his best not to fidget and draw attention. He was tapping out rhythms against his leg, just for something to do with his hand. Apparently his and Chief's job was to intervene if something went wrong, create a diversion to let Sami and Steve get away and out of sight. 

“Is this because I met Chief by getting into a fight?” He’d asked Sami when they were going over the plan in the office.

“It’s because as far as these men know, you two are not connected with Steve and I, therefore you’re less likely to draw suspicion.”

“Because why have a team when you only need two people.”

“ Exatement . After all,” Sami grinned, “There’s no honor among thieves, we certainly can’t trust each other.”

Charlie huffed out a laugh, “Hadn't noticed. I'm sure none of you keep a weapon on you.”

“What on earth for?” The look Sami gave him was just a shade too innocent.

“I’m not answering that.” He tried to keep a straight face, but Sami threw him a wink and he couldn’t help smiling.

Charlie smiled a little at the memory, trying to hide it behind his teacup. Normally, he might’ve added some kind of booze, but he still hadn’t gotten around to asking Chief about his flask, and now really wasn’t the time. If something went wrong, he really didn’t want to risk making things worse by being a liability.

“Are you always here when they do this?” He asked Chief.

“Me or Etta. They try to have at least one person keeping an eye out for them.” Something must’ve shown on Charlie face because Chief smiled and said, “She can hold her own very well. You definitely don’t want to get on her bad side.”

“I’m getting the impression I should stay on all of your good sides.”

Thankfully, the night went on without issue. Steve and Sami stayed and schmoozed more with the businessmen after the exchange until, one by one, all had left. If all went well, none would realize they’d been had until their money had been redistributed to better use, and any trace of the conmen had vanished. The group headed out in their pairs, Chief and Charlie following behind Sami and Steve.

“A successful evening,” Sami declared when they were safely away. There was a fierceness in his eyes, a deep satisfaction at their small deliverance of justice. It was breathtaking. “We got the first one and the rest followed after.” 

“Poor bastards.” Charlie didn’t even try to sound like he was sincere. The others gave him a smile before everyone said their goodnights and parted ways.

The last thing Charlie was expecting to walk up on  on his way back to the apartment was what looked like a mugging in progress. There were two bigger guys ganging up on a smaller, third person who was backed against a wall. They were in an area where people were less likely to walk by, or hear any calls for help.

“Oi!” The muggers turned to see Charlie casually tossing one of his knives. “There a problem here?”

“This is none of your business,” One of them growled. “Move on.”

“Don’t think so mate.”

“You want to be next?” The other one asked.

“Go  fer it. Got  nothin ’ worth  anythin ’ on me, and  nothin ’ to lose.”

Charlie stared them down. The knife flashed in the streetlights as he kept tossing it. The first guy started to move towards him, then hesitated. He glanced over at his friend, they both looked at Charlie. The guy moved back and they both stepped away to head towards the main roads. Charlie watched them. Once they had turned a corner he put the knife away and walked over to the third person.

“ Y’alright there?”

“Yeah, yeah ‘m fine. Uh, thanks for the help.” The young man picked up his cap from where it had been knocked off. His dark hair had been mussed and there was a cut starting to bruise on one sharp cheekbone. A perfect twin to his sister’s.

“Are you Joey?”

The man started back, “Pardon?”

“I’ve met your sister.” Charlie gestured at him, “There’s a family resemblance.”

“Oh!” Joey grinned, “You must be Charlie.”

“Aye. Everything alright, lad?”

“Yeah it’s fine, just ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were asking about money, if they were a serious problem they would’ve been more interested in other things,  y’know ?”

Charlie nodded, “I’m starting to figure that out. You headed anywhere else next?”

He gestured in the opposite direction Charlie was headed. “Two more stops, then back to the apartment.”

“Want any company? I know I look like a walking broom but I got pretty sharp elbows in a fight.”

Joey laughed and shook his head. “Appreciate it, but I move faster on my own. Wouldn't mind borrowing that knife, though,” He joked.

“Which one?” Charlie pulled two out from under his jacket, then knelt down and pulled two more out of his boots.

“How- why- can I borrow one of those boot ones?”

Charlie pulled one of the sheaths out of his boots and handed it over. “Tuck it in, strap it down, and try not to walk funny while you’re adjusting to the feeling. Careful with the blade, it’s plenty sharp.”

“Yeah, right, thank you.” Joey watched Charlie demonstrate with the other sheath, then put his on. “Again, thank you, truly. I’ll have Jess drop this off in the morning, since I won’t be back until sometime in the middle of the night.”

“No rush. Watch  yerself tonight, aye lad?”

“Aye,” Joey gave him another grin, “Have a good night, Charlie.”


	7. Chapter 7

_ This is stupid, _ Charlie kept telling himself.  _ This is really stupid. I should leave, I should go, I should get out of here before someone realizes I came. _

Despite all that running through his head, Charlie didn’t move from his perch. He'd picked this perch, along with a few back-ups, while looking at the map in the office. From the roof he was on he had a clear view of the meeting spot through his scope, allowing him to keep an eye on things. If he looked closely he could even almost make out the shadow of Chief.

Steve’s contact that they’d met hadn’t come up with anything, but word had gotten back to from other sources that someone was looking for a buyer for a crate of firearms. A meeting had been arranged, and the plan was for Sami and Steve to meet with the contact face to face while Chief stood sentinel from a distance. Etta had opted out so she wouldn’t draw attention by walking around the area at night, and Charlie had lied and said he had dinner plans with Mrs.  M ü ller . The truth was he wanted to be there, as evidenced by the fact that he’d shown up, but he hated the idea of being that close. It was easier for him to mess up if he was there. Here, at a distance, he knew that he was doing the one thing he was good at.

Three unknown people arrived. One was clearly the front man, the two goons flanking on either side. Charlie snickered to himself that they probably thought they had the upper hand in numbers. Steve and Sami managed to pretend they looked nervous even though they knew that Chief was there.

It didn’t take long for people to start looking agitated. Charlie forced himself to keep his breathing steady and stay focused. The goon closest to Sami was looking especially twitchy, his hand kept moving towards his side as he glanced between the front man and Sami.

“Don’t even think about it ye bastard,” Charlie muttered. 

Something must’ve happened, because the next thing Charlie saw the goon moved like he was going for a weapon. There was a flash of metal, a bang, and the goon went down, gun falling out of his hand. The other goon went for a weapon, another bang, he fell clutching his leg. The front man started to go for his, then seemed to think better of it, and slowly put his hands up. Sami stepped forward and searched him, pulling out a gun and a knife. He removed the bullets, put the knife on the ground, and handed the man his now empty gun before stepping back to his original place.

Charlie stayed where he was until well after the new discussions were done and the man was definitely gone, taking his limping friend with him. The body of the third man was left behind. When Charlie arrived at the meeting spot, rifle packed and strapped on his back, Sami, Steve, and Chief were gathered nearby in the shadows. Their heads were bent towards each other as they talked but they maintained a full view of the area. Because of the direction Charlie was approaching from, Sami saw him first and drew the attention of the others to him.

“ Evenin ’. What's the word, boss?”

Steve started to answer, then seemed to realize that Charlie was looking at Sami. Sami raised an eyebrow at Charlie, but Charlie held his gaze without faltering.

“How long have you known?” Sami finally asked.

“Not that long, but long enough. It was well played, I'll give ye that, but no one ever said right out that Steve was in charge, and I'd started to figure that it wasn’t him. No offense, lad. If there’s one thing I've learned, it’s that you always need to be sure of who’s giving the orders, so I did some thinking. It had to be your or Etta, as good as you are, Chief, ye’ve made it pretty clear you prefer to stay independent. Almost thought it was her, then realized with all the other work she does  bein ’ in charge of this lot would be a bit much even  fer her.” Not to mention the back office had had that certain Sami touch, but they didn’t need to know that. “That left just one person,  _ boss _ .”

Sami smiled, “Très bien. Back to the more pressing matter, however, am I correct in assuming from the rifle strapped to your back that you had something to do with saving my life tonight? Otherwise, you’ve picked a very interesting time to take your weapon for a walk.”

“Please say it was you,” Steve said, “I don’t think I can take anymore tonight.”

“Aye, it was me. I had a bad  feelin ’ about the whole thing, figured an extra set of eyes couldn’t hurt.”

“We all did,” Sami agreed. “I’m glad you were here.”

Chief nodded, “Though maybe next time you could give us a little notice. I prefer knowing who’s pulling the trigger, if I can.”

“Aye, will do. Sorry about the scare.” He nodded toward the body, “What do we do about him?”

Steve sighed, “We’re  gonna have to handle this one ourselves, aren’t we?”

“Unfortunately, yes” Sami said. “I’d rather have this taken care of and us away from here as soon as possible.”

“At least there’s only one this time,” Chief pointed out.

“I have a lot of questions I'm just not going to ask,” Charlie said. “Alright boss, I made the mess I'll help clean it up, tell me where to start.”

They took care of the body with an efficiency born of practice. Not for the first time, though now for a very different reason, Charlie silently thanked his stars that this was a group of people who were driven by the right motivations, and who so far still seemed to like him. Steve and Chief split off to drive the body to a sewer entrance, leaving Sami and Charlie to clean up the scene as best they could. There really wasn’t much they could do about the blood except hope for rain, but they collected the bullets and looked for anything else that might’ve been dropped in the confusion.

Once Sami deemed the job done, they headed off together down alleys and back streets. At first, Charlie was too caught up in his own thoughts to notice that Sami hadn’t said anything. Then the growing silence started to get to him. They made it to the crossing where they would normally part ways, and not a word had been said between them.

“I would imagine,” Charlie finally said, “you have a lot of questions for me.”

“Only if you want to share,” Sami told him.

“I...” He hesitated. This was an out. He had an out. “I think there are some things you should know.”

Sami took the lead. They turned away from Charlie’s street and towards one he hadn’t been to before. Street lights were out, and it was late enough that most windows were dark as well. It reminded Charlie of the night he’d met Chief, except this time it was harder to resign himself to his uncertain fate. He could still run, the itch was almost there, but Sami’s pull was stronger. This was something he had to see through. 

They headed into one of the buildings and up to one of the higher apartments. Sami turned on a light on and hung his hat and coat on the rack by the door. “Please, make yourself comfortable,” He gestured to the couch on his way to the kitchen, “Tea or coffee?”

“Uh, whatever you’re having.” Charlie hung his hat and coat, set his rifle by the door, and sat down on the couch, trying to look around without making it too obvious.

Color was scattered across the room, in the pillows and the blanket and the rug and the pictures on the wall. A book and a mug sat out on the coffee table, a piece of paper acted as the bookmark. A glance into the kitchen showed dishes and food in the cabinets Sami was opening. On a small table in the corner was a record player, with records lined up underneath. This place was a home.

The cup that appeared next to him smelled like peppermint. He couldn’t help but smile as it reminded him of the first day they’d met. It had only been about a week, but it felt like a small lifetime. The thought that this might end all of that made his chest tighten, but he took a deep breath and forced himself to turn to Sami who was sitting next to him on the couch.

“I served in the Gordon Highlanders for years. Damn good number of years. And while I wasn’t the best soldier, I was very good at one thing.” He glanced at his rifle. Sami didn’t say anything, but he didn’t look away from Charlie. “A.... lot of things happened, and it ended with a medical discharge. I didn’t have anywhere to go, didn’t have anything else I could do, so I started working for whoever was willing to pay. And I was still good at it. Managed to make enough of a living to get by. Then the war ended, and I was back where I'd been.

“I've been bouncing around from place to place since. Mostly getting kicked out,” He admitted. “I’ve done things I'm not proud of. I've done things I'm going to have to pay for down the line. I've done things I'm paying for now. Maybe it’s best this came up now, when it’s not too late for me to leave without causing too much damage.”

“And maybe,” Sami said gently, “You can give us a chance, to give you a chance. If you  _ want _ to walk away, Charlie, I won’t stop you. But I'm not going to tell you to leave.”

Charlie finished his tea, said a quiet goodnight to Sami, walked back to his apartment, and went to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Charlie had dinner with Mrs.  M ü ller and the twins the next night. The cut on Joey's cheek had bruised, earning him light scolding from their hostess about “Running around and getting into trouble,” but he was otherwise fine. 

“One quick - _ very _ quick- piece of business before we eat,” Jess said, dodging Mrs. M ü ller’s swat. “Charlie, Sami said to tell you to meet Steve at the front office tomorrow around 4.”

“Thank you, lass.”

Joey hit himself in the forehead, “I meant to bring your knife back.” He started to get up but quickly sat down when Mrs. M ü ller made a scolding noise.

“Sit down, sit down. What did I tell you,” she said to Charlie, “all their in and out. Makes my head spin. Eat your food, you’re all too skinny.”

“Yes ma’am,” The twins chorused sheepishly. Charlie gave her a salute and a wink.

While he was helping clean up (she’d shooed Jess and Joey out with leftover cake but had allowed him to insist on helping), she gave him a long look from where she was drying a dish. “You finally figured it out, didn’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“You figured it out.”

“I’m glad I've figured something out, because I'm very confused now.”

“You don’t want to move as much.” She looked at him, “Last time I saw you, you had one foot out the door. So to speak. Both feet were mostly on the couch. But you were ready to up and go like that,” she snapped. 

“And now I'm not?”

“And now you’re not. It was Sami, wasn’t it?”

That made him almost drop a glass, “ _ Pardon? _ ”

“He has a knack. He finds people that don’t think they fit, and figures out where they can be. It comes from feeling that way as long as he has.” She took the glass that Charlie was still holding from his shocked hands. “Ask him someday about acts.”

“Acts?”

“ _ Acts _ .” She looked at the clock. “It’s getting late. go home, you need more sleep. No  no ,” she waved off his protests, “I pulled all of this out, I can put it away. Go home.”

“Thank you. For dinner.”

Mrs. Müller smiled and patted him on the cheek. “Bitte. Gute nacht, Charlie.”

\---

Charlie arrived at the front office before Steve and found the door locked. For a fleeting moment, he thought about picking it just to prove a point, but there was something much more satisfying about using his key. Etta’s desk was empty so he borrowed her chair and settled in to wait.

It was only a few minutes later that Steve arrived, giving Charlie a nod as he walked past and into the inner office area. “So we haven’t had a chance to really scope out the butcher shop  itslef ,” he started explaining as he switched out his coat and jacket, raising his voice to make sure it carried. “And at the very least we figured we should get a look at some of the people inside. Sami and Etta have been around the area a little bit, looking for places we can establish recon points. The back alley is pretty much a no go, too much risk of getting caught.”

The only person they saw inside was one man behind the counter. He looked up and gave them both a nod, “Afternoon, gentlemen.” His accent was as thick as Mrs. M ü ller’s, but still distinctly German. “What can I get for you?” He was definitely older than them, his hair was almost completely grey, and there was a stony quality to his face.

“Well we were told to pick up meat for a stew, but forgot to ask what kind before heading out, and I mean you know how it is with the missus, she hates repeating herself even when she didn’t actually say it the first time.”

“And god forbid you try to tell her  _ that _ ,” Charlie added.

“Exactly. So if she’s making a stew, what kind of meat would work best for that.”

The man looked back and forth between them for a moment before pointing to a cut hanging from one of the hooks. “Shoulder meat. It's tough, more tissue than fat. It'll hold together better in the broth. We have lamb and beef.”

“Sounds great. Let me get a pound of the beef.” While the man took down the cut, Steve looked around the shop. “Have you been here long? I swear there was a butcher here a while back but then  I couldn’t find it again and now here you are.”

“We just moved in.” He was a little slow with the knife, but the cuts were precise. “Took over from the previous owner.”

“I knew I wasn’t crazy. My wife would say otherwise but thank goodness she’s not here. You have a wife or someone?”

“Sister.” The meat was weighed and wrapped. “Anything else?”

“Not unless I forgot something else she didn’t tell me to get.” Steve shared a grin with Charlie, but the tension held in the air. “Right. Well thanks again for the help,” He said as they checked out.

“Of course. And good luck with the missus.” The man then turned to Charlie and gave him a smile that made Charlie’s blood run cold. “Hallo, Private Baird, so good to see you again, it’s been too long. You should come by some time so we can catch up.” Before Charlie could even begin to respond, the man gave them a nod and headed into the back.

Steve gently pulled Charlie out of the shop and back out onto the street, “Charlie-”

Charlie cut Steve off, “I have no idea who that man is. I  dinnae know how he knew my name, I  dinnae ken how he knew  _ anythin _ _ ’ _ , but I swear I've never met ‘ im before in my life.” His hands were shaking and he was pretty sure he was starting to break out in a sweat. He wanted to scream  _ Please! Please believe me! Please don’t trust him! _

But the words stuck in his throat. 

He started backing away, vaguely aware of a voice saying his name. A hand touched his arm; he flinched away. Every nerve in his body was itching to run, get out now while he still could. He turned and started walking.

Someone called out to him but he kept going. Charlie tucked his hands into his pockets and kept his head down as he walked fast and hard.

His feet carried him to the Farthing Lane apartment. Get in, get his stuff, get out. The thought picked up rhythm in his head as he hurried up the stairs. Somehow he managed to get the door unlocked without issue and he gave a little shove behind him to make sure it shut so no one would see him to ask questions.

Except the sound of the door shutting didn’t come. Charlie turned back around, halfway to his room, to see what had stopped it.

Sami stood in his doorway, hand on the door where he had caught it. He didn’t look angry, that was good at least, but he looked worried. That almost hurt more, the idea that Sami was doubting if he could trust Charlie anymore. Charlie wanted to turn away, go into his room and start packing, but more than that he wanted Sami to know the truth.

“Charlie? Are you alright?”

“I’ve never met him, Sami.”

“I know; I know, Charlie. We believe you,  _ I  _ believe you.” Sami stepped into the apartment and quietly shut the door behind him. He approached Charlie, who was still frozen in the middle of the room, and reached out to put a hand on Charlie’s arm. “We will figure this out. Please, sit down.”

Charlie let himself be guided over to the couch. Nerves and residual adrenaline and that old itch creeping back in were making his hands shake, and he clenched them into fists to try and force them to stop. When Sami’s hands covered his, Charlie saw more than felt when Sami rubbed his thumbs over the tense muscles.

“Breathe with me, Charlie. In, then out. Deep breaths, it’s okay. Breathe in, that’s it. Now let it out nice and slow. You're doing fine, Charlie.”

They stayed like that for who knows how long. Slowly, Charlie's breathing evened out and the feeling came back into his hands and feet. The urge to run faded away, leaving exhaustion behind. 

Charlie took another deep breath and let it out on a sigh, gently pulling his hands away so he could rub them over his face. “Fucking  christ .”

“How do you feel?”

“Run over.” Charlie looked at Sami and was surprised to see that he still looked worried. Sami said he believed Charlie, so then why..... _oh._ Sami wasn’t worried about _trusting_ Charlie, he was worried _about_ Charlie. A new kind of tightness wrapped around Charlie’s ribs, giving a squeeze that almost felt like a hug. He managed to pull up a smile and nudged Sami’s arm. “It’s alright, I'm fine now. Sorry fer causin’ a scene.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. That man scared the hell out of all of us, and he called you by name. I don’t know how he knows you, Charlie, but I promise you we will find out, and I will make sure he cannot touch you.”

Charlie thought about making a knight in shining armor joke, but the look on Sami’s face drew him up short. There was that same fierceness, that fire born of wanting to set things right. And now that fire was raging for Charlie.

“Sami,” Charlie put his hand on Sami’s, “I’m okay. I promise.”

“You’re not alone, Charlie.” Sami took Charlie’s hand in both of his, “Let me help.”

Sami spent the night on Charlie’s couch. Despite the scare, Charlie was able to sleep knowing that he didn’t have to run. 


	9. Chapter 9

Charlie was up first the next morning. Sami had wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, head just barely visible. It looked like he was sound asleep, but as Charlie started to move around in the kitchen (being as quiet as he could), he stirred and sat up, wincing a little at sore muscles. His hair, normally neatly combed and styled, had started to fall out of place. There was a hint of curl to it, and Charlie had to turn away to keep from staring.

“Morning. Coffee?”

“Merci.” Sami sleepily headed past the kitchen down the hall to the bathroom. 

Charlie started heating up a pan on the stove to make eggs and toast while he waited for the coffee to finish. Without realizing it, he started to sing quietly to himself. “I’ll walk beside you  throuhg the world today, while dreams and songs and flowers bless your way. I'll look into your eyes and hold your hand. I’ll walk beside you through the golden land.”

Movement caught his attention in the corner of his eye and he looked up to see Sami coming into the kitchen area. His shirt collar was open and slightly wet from washing his face, and while his hair wasn’t styled the curls had been pushed back out of his face. Charlie poured coffee into one of the mugs he’d pulled out and handed it over, earning a sleepy smile.

“Thank you,  matraba .”

Charlie gave him a  bemused smile, “I didn’t even say anything.”

Sami returned the confused look.  After a long pause, realization hit. “Songbird, Charlie.  Matraba means songbird.”

“Oh.” Charlie felt his face turn red and returned his attention to the stove. When he glanced back over, he could’ve sworn Sami was blushing too.

“How do you feel this morning?” Sami asked, breaking the silence.

“Better. What happened after I...” Ran. “Left?”

“Steve said the butcher called you by name, and you didn’t know who he was. He wasn’t familiar to Steve either.”

“He didn’t seem like the kind of person you forget. Believe me, I remember enough things I wish I didn’t, I’d know if I'd met him. And Steve would too.”

“We’ll find someone who knows. He didn’t come from nowhere.”

The eggs and toast were done so Charlie plated and they decided to move over to the couch to eat. “We meeting up later, then?” Charlie asked when they were done.

Sami nodded, “I’ll call and tell Etta to plan for noon at the back office. That should give me enough time to go home and freshen up.”

“Feeling a little ripe,  leannan ?” Charlie teased. He immediately felt his face go red. “I...”

“Charlie?”

“It’s nothing bad!” He said quickly. “It’s...” He thought about trying to lie, he really did, but he just couldn’t bring himself to. “Sweetheart,” he admitted quietly. “It means sweetheart.”

“Oh.” Charlie wasn’t looking, but Sami’s voice didn’t sound disgusted or angry. It almost sounded... pleased. “I’m very glad to hear that.”

That made Charlie  look up. Sami was smiling. “I... you... yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Yes. Right. Yeah. Good.” Not quite sure what to do with himself, Charlie took their plates back to the kitchen and put them in the sink. It didn’t seem like he was going to go back to his normal color anytime soon.  _ Well done, Baird. Someone up there is definitely laughing their ass off.  _ He grabbed the coffeepot and brought it back with him to top off their cups. “It is good, right?” He asked, setting the pot down on the table.

“Yes, Charlie.” Sami stood and took a step towards him, waiting until Charlie looked at him to move a little closer. He held a hand out, and Charlie took it, letting himself be drawn closer. “It’s good.” Sami put a hand on Charlie’s cheek and Charlie leaned into the touch. “May I?”

“Yes.”

As Sami pressed his lips to Charlie’s, Charlie put his  hands on Sami’s hips and held on. He was solid, he was real, and Charlie felt that last wandering part of himself settle down. When they separated, Charlie rested his forehead against Sami’s.

“Definitely good,” Charlie agreed.

“Only good? I'll have to keep trying.” Sami gave him another quick kiss before pulling back reluctantly. “But right  now I do have to go.”

“I know, I know. See you at noon?”

“I’ll send word if something changes.”

As Sami got ready to head back out, Charlie couldn’t help lingering to give him one more kiss before he left. It was accepted easily, welcomed even, and they said their goodbyes with a smile. 


	10. Chapter 10

Charlie was the last person to arrive at the back office. He was a little surprised, since he’d made sure to get there early, but tried not to think about it.

“Afternoon everyone,” He said, getting greeted in return. “Has anything else come up about that-” He cut himself off, glancing at Etta. “Bastard,” he finally finished. “Begging yer pardon. That's the most pleasant word I can think of for him.”

She nodded, “That’s the impression I've gotten so far.”

“There is something else we wanted to talk about first,” Sami said. “It’s nothing bad, I promise.”

Well now he was just confused. “Alright?”

“I know you would prefer that certain things not have happened yesterday-”

Charlie started to interrupt, “Sami-”

“Sameer.”

“Pardon?”

“Sameer Nejem. But I prefer to go by Sami.”

“Napi, of the Siksika people.”

“Captain Steven Trevor, US Air Service.”

“Etta Candy, pleasure.”

“I- what?”

Sami gave him a smile and a shrug, “It seemed only fair that since we know who you are, you should know who we are.”

“Sami- Sameer- just... hang on a minute.” Charlie braced himself on the table and ran a hand over his face. “Why? Why would ye do that? Why would ye just tell an outsider that?”

“Charlie,” Sami waited until Charlie looked up at him before continuing, “You’re not an outsider, you haven’t been for a very long time. How many outsiders do you think get to see my apartment? Or this office? And even if we didn’t already trust you, you saved Joey the other night, you've more than earned your place here.” He smiled at Charlie’s shocked expression, “He made a point of telling me. You made a very good impression on Jess and Joey both, and they wanted us to know they thought you should stick around. We agreed.”

Charlie searched Sami’s face for any sign of mockery or deception, any twinkle in the eye or quirk of the lips. But all he saw was that damned sincerity that drew people in so they couldn’t help but believe him. And how Charlie wanted to believe it, but it was too good to be true. He looked to Steve, Chief, Etta, trying to find the joke. None.

“If you’re waiting for a contradiction,” Etta said, “I’m afraid you’re not going to get it. It was a unanimous decision.”

“I.....” Charlie looked away and cleared his throat. “Knew I'd grow on ye, lass.”

“Like a fungus,” she agreed. But her smile was kind.

“Welcome aboard, Red,” Chief added. Steve clapped him on the shoulder with a wide grin.

“Right, yeah, thanks.” Charlie took a deep breath, willing himself not to tear up. “So, now that that’s all cleared up, onto business, right boss?”

“Right,” Sami gave him another smile before turning his attention to the group as a whole. “There was only one man in the shop, correct?” He looked at Steve and Charlie who both nodded. “What was he like?”

“A bastard,” Etta said.

Steve snorted, “Yeah. He was an older guy, mid to late fifties, German accent. Not friendly.”

“Reminded me of some of the older officers in the regiment.”

“Definitely military,” Steve agreed. “And I don’t think he’s ever been a butcher before, he felt very out of place.”

Charlie looked around the desk, “Is there a paper and pencil I could borrow?” Sami passed him some from one of the drawers. “Thanks.”

“I didn’t hear or see anyone else in there,” Steve said. “If he’s not in charge of the place he’s most likely the front man. Not a lot of meat, either.”

“A smaller business is easier to manage,” Chief said. “The less there is the more you're in control.”

Charlie pushed the rough blueprint he’d made of the butcher shop into the center of the desk, “That’s the best I've been able to figure, based on everything we’ve seen so far. If they’re keeping it small, they can use a lot of that for storage,” He gestured to the blank space between the shop front and the back loading area.

“Did you switch hands while you were doing that???” Steve asked, turning his head as he looked at the drawing. 

“Habit, makes it easier to not smear the pencil. He said ‘We just moved in,’ and mentioned a sister, might be a clue about the person upstairs.”

“I’ll pop in at the records office,” Etta said, “See if the spaces are listed together or separately, and  who’s name is on them.”

“Let me know if you find a business name,” Chief said. “I doubt the crates are listed under the same name, but it might give me something else to work with. I'll also see if I can track down gave passenger lists.”

“He didn’t come from nowhere,” Charlie repeated, sharing a smile with Sami.

“I’ll keep poking around the market,” Steve said. “If this guy’s been anywhere near it, he’ll have made an impression.”

“Should I get my rifle ready?” Charlie teased. 

“It was one time, Charlie.”

“Weeell,” Etta made a rocking motion with her hand, “Not quite. You’ve had a few close calls.”

“I feel very supported, thank you. Are we done here?” He asked Sami.

“Unless there’s anything else, yes,” Sami told him with a smile. “You are released from this continued abuse.”

“Thank you. See you all later.”

Etta and Chief followed shortly behind Steve. Charlie decided to stay back with Sami, but remembered something he needed to take care of  real quick and darted after them. 

“Chief!” 

Chief paused at the end of the hall and waited for Charlie to catch up. “Something  come up?”

“Been meaning to ask, did you by any chance find my flask the other night? I seem to have misplaced it.”

Chief nodded and pulled it out of his bag. “I’ve been meaning to give it back to you. Guess it slipped my mind.”

Charlie looked down at it and shrugged, “Keep it. I don’t really need it. And... thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sami wasn’t in the main room when Charlie got back, but the door to the side room was open. Inside was a small office space. A few different hats hung on hooks along the wall, a chest of drawers was pushed into the corner, and there were at least three different coats on the stand by the door. Sami was standing behind his desk, looking through a pile of papers. He looked up and smiled when Charlie came in.

“Is this the other back office,” Charlie asked, “or is there some other name for it?”

“I just call it my office. I should come up with another name for it, we do have quite a few offices.”

“That reminds me, I have question.”

“What’s that?”

“Who the  _ fuck _ is Mr. Outis?”

Sami burst out laughing at the slightly exasperated look on Charlie’s face. “Sorry, sorry, I'm not laughing at you. It's a name we use so no one knows who we really are, and so any word that gets around about Mr. Outis is always conflicting with another. He’s nobody, but he’s nobody in a way that makes him everybody.”

“Ah, so  _ this _ is the part where it starts to get confusing.”

Sami laughed again and walked around to give him a kiss. “We’ll take it step by step. After all, you’re part of all this, remember?”

Charlie put a hand on Sami’s hip and pressed their foreheads together. “Thank you, Sami,” he whispered.

“What for?”

“Giving me a chance.”

Sami didn’t say anything, just pressed a kiss to Charlie’s cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

Charlie was putting away the cleaned dinner dishes while Sami pulled out a small cake Mrs.  M ü ller had gently forced onto them when they heard the knock on the door. They looked at each other and Sami shook his head, he hadn’t been expecting anyone. The knock came again, a little more insistent, and Charlie walked over to answer. When he opened the door, Joey stood on the other side.

“Oh, hello Charlie. You just saved me a trip.”

“Evening, lad. What's going on?”

“Message for you both from Steve: Meeting, back room, urgent.”

“Shit. Message received, thank you.” Joey nodded and hurried off. Charlie turned around and saw Sami was already putting his jacket back on. “Don’t like the sound of that.”

“No, neither do I,” Sami agreed. They both strapped on a gun and a knife, better safe than sorry, and headed out.

They met Chief on the way in. Etta and Steve were waiting inside. Etta looked concerned but not nearly as much as Steve. It was a testament to how good Steve was at putting on a face that Charlie could clearly read his expression now, but he knew Steve would never let it show outside of private walls. 

“Steve?” Charlie said.

Etta turned to them, “The man’s name is Eric Larson; At least, that’s the name he’s been using. He owns the business underneath, and the rooms above.”

“And,” Steve said, taking a deep breath, “he was asking around the mercenary types about Scottish snipers.”

Nobody said anything. Sami’s expression was flat, but Charlie could sense the anger rolling off of him. “We have a leak.”

Steve nodded, “There’s no other way I can think of. Someone we know must’ve told them about Charlie, and then they put him together with the sniper from the meeting.”

“Damn,” Charlie muttered. “Guess next time I won’t leave anyone breathing.” He saw Etta nod her agreement.

Sami muttered darkly under his breath. Charlie didn’t understand a word of it but he knew the tone of someone cursing a blue streak. “Okay. Okay.” He finally said. “We have a breach, so we close ranks. Until we know who we can trust, everything stays with the five of us. Once we’ve been dark for a while, we’ll start sending out selective information, see what gets back to the wrong people. In the meantime, we need to relocate the bases, the safehouses, and maybe even our own apartments. If anyone needs help moving, please don’t hesitate to ask. My priority right now is making sure all of you are safe, you cannot inconvenience me by being careful.” Sami looked around at all of them and took a deep breath, letting it out on a sigh. “Go home, get some rest, we’ll have a fresh start in the morning.”

They all started to head out. Steve and Chief each put a hand on Sami’s shoulder as they passed. Etta waited a bit longer but, when Sami didn’t look up, she quietly bid him and Charlie good night and left. The two of them were alone in the office, but it felt like Sami was so much further away than just the few feet between them.

“Boss?”

“Go home, Charlie.” If Sami hadn’t sounded so tired, that might’ve been cold. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned away without looking to see if Charlie listened and stormed towards the other room.

Charlie followed behind, stopping the door before it slammed shut. “Sami.”

“What!?” Sami whirled around. The flash of anger dissipated immediately and Sami leaned back against his desk, rubbing his hands over his face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, that wasn’t for you.”

“I know.” Charlie stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He walked over to Sami but stopped a few steps away, waiting. When Sami reached out, Charlie took his hand and let himself be drawn in closer. His hands went to Sami’s hips, gently pushing under jacket and waistcoat to press a little closer. Sami’s hands wrapped around Charlie’s back, holding tight. “I know,” Charlie said again, leaning his forehead against Sami’s. “Breathe with me, Sameer. In. Now out. We're okay, we’re all okay, and we are going to figure this out. Let me help, tell me what you need.”

“I need you to be safe,” Sami whispered. One of his hands came up to cup Charlie’s face, “I’m scared, Charlie.”

“So am I. Trust me, we’re all having the same thought: if they know about me, what else do they know about the rest of us? But it’s not over yet.” Charlie took the hand from his face and pressed it against his heart, “I’m still here. I'm okay.” He leaned in and pressed a long, insistent kiss to Sami’s temple. “They haven’t beat us, they’ve just scared us. They gave us a warning, thinkin’ it’ll get rid of us, but that was their mistake. 

“We'll go underground, we’ll regroup, we’ll let them think they’ve won. And then we’ll come back stronger, smarter, and they’ll never see us comin’. They underestimate us, they probably think they know everythin’ they need to know, but if that were true then they’d be scared right now, because they’d know that it’s a very, very dangerous thing to make you mad. And you, mo ghaol,” Charlie put his hands on Sami’s face and looked him in the eye, “are righteously furious.”

Sami curled his fingers in Charlie’s shirt and pulled him impossibly closer until their noses brushed and their legs intertwined. “I don’t like people messing with what’s mine.”

“That make me yours?”

“Unless you have any objections.”

“No objections. One condition, though.”

“What’s that?”

“Yer mine, too.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Monsieur, but I think it’s agreeable.”

“Well as long as it’s agreeable...” Charlie finally leaned in and kissed Sami properly.

“If that’s your way of sealing the deal,” Sami said when they pulled back, “we should negotiate more often.”

“With you, anytime. But  _ after _ you’ve gotten some sleep. Busy day tomorrow”

Sami sighed and dropped his head onto Charlie’s shoulder, “Alright, alright. Let's go home.”

That night, they locked the door, shut the curtains, put a record on the gramophone, and closed themselves into their own little world. Tomorrow would be another day, with its own challenges and struggles, and gods knew there was so much work to be done, but it could wait until the sunrise.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Home, by Phillip Phillips


End file.
